Roof snow stop

ABSTRACT

The Invention is a device for preventing snow and ice from sliding off an inclined roof Essentially, it is an L-shaped bracket, the long axis of which is installed parallel to the inclined surface of a slanted roof. The shape and surface features of the device are adapted to retain snow, and ice formed when snow melts and refreezes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The field of the Invention is a group of devices of widely varyingshape, or complexity or cost etc. designed to prevent snow and ice fromsliding off an inclined roof in snowy climates.

2. Description of Prior Art

There are a number of devices covered by design patents, which coveronly the ornamental or aesthetic aspect of the device, which devices areintended to prevent snow and ice from sliding off an inclined roofRepresentative of such patents are U.S. design Pat. No. 351,989, Nov. 1,1994 to R. M. Cline; U.S. design Pat. No. 364,338, Nov. 21, 1995 to R.M. Cline; and U.S. design Pat. No. 372,421, Aug. 6, 1996 to R. M. Cline.These design patents by definition do not cover any function orstructure of the device, but only their ornamental appearance. Thesedevices appear to have shapes which would not be very effective inretaining snow and ice on a roof or which would be difficult to installon the roof, or would not be structurally strong in terms of retainingsignificant amounts of ice and snow. U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,088, Apr. 27,1993, to G. B. Mueller, describes a roofing panel with certain shapesmolded therein and designed to prevent snow and ice from sliding down aroof U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,340, Feb. 1, 1994, to R. M. Cline, discloses abutterfly-shaped device for mounting on a roof to retain snow and ice,involving a slot to receive a roof seam, and held to the seam by setscrews. U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,184, Sep. 23, 1997 to T. E. Anderson,describes a snow bracket with an elongated body with a number of bentmetal parts. Other patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,114, Jan. 27,1998, to G. B. Mueller; U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,166, Mar. 25, 2003, to F. W.Alley; U.S. Publication Ser. No. 2003/0066247, Apr. 10, 2003, by T. P.Trevorrow—all disclose much more complicated devices for retaining snowand ice on roofs, and which are more complicated to attach to roofs.

The Inventor works at elevations from between 5,000 to 11,400 feet inthe Colorado Rockies where there are some of the greatest roof snowloads in the country. If left alone the snow loads on a roof will breakloose and slide like an avalanche causing property damage and personalinjury or death. Snow and ice weighing thousands of pounds can drop fromroofs onto walkways and building entrances thus giving rise to expensiveliability. Snow and ice can cause property damage when falling from oneroof to another, thus breaking roofs, plywood, and rafters. They canalso knock decks away from buildings, crush cars, rip off railings, andcrush walls that are located on adjacent buildings, and can breakwindows and cause other damage to adjacent buildings. The Inventor hasinstalled various types of snow and ice holding systems and knows theirdrawbacks. The snow fence is the most commonly used device. It can bemade from different metals or alloys. Generally it has a post that risesa foot above the roof with two holes in it and is screwed down to theroof through a 12 inch base. Snow fence posts are installed in a lineevery four feet along the eave of the roof. Pipes are then put throughthe holes connecting the upright and completing the fence. The fenceholds the snow on the roof, but there are drawbacks. The ice becomesvery heavy along the eave, which can cause leaking. If the roof slopeabove the snow fence is 10 to 60 feet long, the snow will creep down tothe fence putting all the snow load on the eave of the building, andover time the snow buildup will cause the snow fence to rip off the roofand crash to the ground, likely causing damage.

Another common snow and ice holder is a product that attaches to metalroofs. Essentially it is a rectangular metal plate that bolts to a metalrib in a metal roof. It is made of expensive alloys such as copper,brass, aluminum, etc. It is attached to the vertical seams of the roofby ratcheting a tight screw against the seam of the roof. The productdoes not attach to the roof sheeting, and generally pulls out and ripsthe metal roof seems, and falls to the ground.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The Invention of the Application is a simple generally L-shaped deviceof varying lengths which attaches to an inclined roof surface in orderto prevent snow and ice from falling off the roof and harming persons orproperty below the roof. For very steep roofs, the device would havemore of a V-shape when looked at from the side, so that the base membercould be mounted parallel to the roof, yet the vertical member would besubstantially perpendicular to the roof.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

The objects of the present Invention are:

-   -   1. To provide a simple and inexpensive device for retaining ice        and snow on inclined roof surfaces in snowy climates.    -   2. To provide a device for retaining ice and snow which is        extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.    -   3. To provide such a device which is extremely simple to install        on a slanted roof.    -   4. To provide a device which can be made in transparent form to        minimize its visibility on a roof.    -   5. To provide a device which can be made in colors to match the        color of a roof in order to minimize visibility on the roof, or        which may be easily made to be black or white or transparent.    -   6. To provide a device which is extremely inexpensive to make in        large quantities by plastic injection molding.    -   7. To provide a device which is extremely inexpensive when made        of common plastics.    -   8. To provide a device the dimensions of which can be easily        modified in order to be easily adapted to roofs of varying        incline, and climates with light, moderate, or heavy snowfall.    -   9. To provide a device which has sufficient strength due to its        shape and material, in order to be able to retain significant        masses and weights of snow or ice.    -   10. To provide a device with shape and surface features well        adapted to retain snow and ice, and which sufficiently engages        snow or ice under melting conditions to prevent them from        falling off the roof.    -   11. To provide a device which could be made from a number of        inexpensive plastics.    -   12. To provide a device for retaining snow and ice with a shape        easily adapted to various decorative patterns, and to harmonize        with the general architecture of the building.    -   13. To provide a device of simple concept adapted to be used in        many varying lengths on a roof as required by the shape and        dimensions of the roof.    -   14. To provide a device for retaining snow and ice safely during        storms cycles, so that maintenance and snow and ice removal can        be done at a later date.    -   15. To provide a device that will not cause damage or water        leaks to the interior of a building.    -   16. To provide a device that can be installed with caulking and        two screws and can hold 300 pounds of snow and ice per device on        a roof.    -   17. To provide a device that retains snow and ice evenly over        the entire roof, thus keeping the weight of the snow and ice        (snow load) evenly distributed over the roof so that snow and        ice are not just held at the eave.    -   18. To provide a device that retains snow and ice over the        entire roof so that snow does not slide into a roof valley and        damage or rip the valley apart, or knock down chimneys or        plumbing vents from the roof.    -   19. To provide a device that helps retain snow and ice on roofs        to protect walkways and entrances to buildings below to reduce        injury and bodily harm to the people below.    -   20. To provide a device that holds snow and ice on roofs thus        protecting automobiles in driveways and windows on neighboring        or adjoining buildings, and avoiding other property damage that        may occur due to failing snow and ice.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a top view of the device showing mounting feet 1, which areattached to the roof and a vertical snow retaining vertical member 4designed to retain snow and ice.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the device showing the mounting feet 1, thevertical snow retaining member 4, and angle reinforcement 3.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the device showing the surface of snowretaining member 4 which retains the snow and ice and prevents it fromsliding down the roof.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing one of the devices mounted on an inclinedroof surface, and

FIG. 5 is a view looking down on several devices mounted across theinclined surface of a roof, in several lines of devices.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS

1. mounting feet

2. roof attachment holes

3. angle reinforcement

4. snow retaining member

5. gripping shapes

6. bracket angle

7. roof

8. fastener

DETAILED DESCIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of the device, showing a base member comprised ofmounting feet 1 which are positioned flush with the roof surface, andwhich are attached to the roof by means of screws or nails or otherfasteners, which pass through the roof attachment holes 2 and into theroof material, or other roof attachment means. Part 4 is the snowretaining member, or vertical member, which is attached to the basemember, and which extends upwardly from the base member or mounting feet1 and the surface of the roof, and which blocks the downward motion ofsnow and ice because the snow and ice press against the up-roof surfaceof snow retaining member 4. Parts 3 are shown in an edge on view, andthey are the angle reinforcements or brace members, or otherstrengthening means, typically in the shape of a triangle the base ofwhich is attached to mounting feet 1 and the vertical side of which isattached to snow retaining member 4.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the device showing its general L-shape andshowing mounting foot 1, angle reinforcement 3 in the shape of atriangle, snow retaining member 4, and gripping shapes 5.

FIG. 3 is a front view of snow retaining member 4 which includesgripping shapes 5 on its surface. Gripping shapes 5 are designed toretain snow and ice by penetrating into the snow and ice when the snowand ice is initially deposited on the roof, or when they melt andrefreeze on the roof Snow retaining member 4 is also shown and mountingfeet 1 and angle reinforcement 3 are shown in phantom form on the otherside of this front surface of snow retaining member 4.

FIG. 4 shows the Invention mounted on an inclined roof 7. Fastener 8(for example a bolt or screw-not part of the Invention) is shown holdingthe Invention on the roof 7.

FIG. 5 shows rows of the Inventions on an inclined roof.

DESCRIPTION—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment of the device is shown in FIGS. 1 through 3,which show a simple L-shaped device where the snow retaining member 4 isgenerally perpendicular to mounting feet 1 (unless at an obtuse bracketangle for a steep roof) and is generally semicircular in shape. Foradded strength, the preferred embodiment has angle reinforcements 3which make snow retaining member 4 stronger and less likely to bend orbreak in the direction down an inclined roof, under the weight of snowand ice. The preferred embodiment is easily made out of several kinds ofplastics, including polycarbonate plastic, by a fairly simple injectionmolding process known to those skilled in the art, since the overallshape of the device is fairly simple. The gripping shapes 5 in thepreferred embodiment could be square based pyramids, although many othershapes projecting perpendicularly and outwardly from the snow retainingmember 4 and into the snow and ice, could be used.

For many inclined roofs, the device would have bracket angle 6 equal toapproximately 90 degrees, but for steeply inclined roofs the angle couldbe greater than 90 degrees. The mounting feet 1 could be in the range oftwo to three inches in length and in the range of ¼ inch thick. The snowretaining member 4 would also typically be about ¼ inch thick andapproximately three inches high. The thickness of angle reinforcement 3would also be approximately ¼ inch. These thicknesses could vary withthe strength of the plastic. The gripping shapes 5 would extendoutwardly from the front of snow retaining member 4 by approximately ¼inch. The width of mounting feet 1 would be approximately one inch, andthe space between the two mounting feet would be approximately 1½inches, with the entire length of snow retaining member 4 beingapproximately 5 inches. Mounting feet 1 could extend from the edges ofsnow retaining member 4 by approximately one inch. Roof attachment holes2 in mounting feet 1 could be positioned approximately one-half inchback from snow retaining member 4. The preferred embodiment of thedevice would be made from polycarbonate plastic or other plastics welladapted to injection molding, although other types of plastic such asstyrene, etc., all well known to those skilled in the art, could beused. Caulking around the fasteners 8 and roof attachment holes 2 isrecommended.

OPERATION OF THE INVENTION

The device is mounted on an inclined roof so that the mounting feet 1are flush with the roof surface and pointing down the incline of theroof, and so that the snow retaining member 4 extends generallyvertically above the roof, and so that a line drawn perpendicular tosnow retaining member 4 would point parallel to the inclined roofsurface and up the inclined roof surface. The snow retaining member 4containing the gripping shapes 5 is pointed up the inclined roof.Several of these L-shaped devices may be positioned in a horizontal linegenerally parallel to the bottom edge of the roof, or in a staggeredarrangement in several lines across the incline surface of the roof sothat the snow retaining member 4 surfaces are positioned perpendicularto the incline plane of the roof. Generally, bracket angle 6 would beapproximately 90 degrees; however, for very steep roofs, the bracketangle 6 may be an obtuse angle of more than 90 degrees so that that snowretaining member 4 is generally vertical to the ground, so that on verysteep roofs, the snow and ice would not have a tendency to move up andover snow retaining member 4. One or more of the devices can be easilymounted on a roof by means of bolts or screws or similar fastening meansinserted in roof attachment holes 2 in mounting feet 1, and then intothe roof material.

Tests

The snow and ice holder of the present Invention has been installed andtested in the Town of Telluride, Colo. which has an elevation of 8,745feet and an annual snowfall of 300 inches. The installation was asfollows. On a 12/12 pitch roof or a 45 degree roof, caulk both feet ofthe device and screw two screws into each of the two feet with a 2 inchlong by 5/16 inch wide self-tapping metal screw with a neoprene washer,using a cordless drill, into the roofing and sheeting of the roof.Install a line of snow and ice holders along the bottom eave leaving aone foot gap between holders. Move up the roof five feet and repeat theinstallation, until reaching the peak of the roof. This snow and iceholder with this installation has held eight feet of snow. By havingmany contacts all over the roof, more surface resistance is created, andthe area of the snow load is spread over the entire structure, makingfor a safe snow pack. All the weight of the snow cannot move to thebottom of the roof. This keeps valleys from being torn up by thedownward force of snow and ice, which snow fencing does not protectagainst. The chimneys and plumbing vents in the roof remain in place.

The simple polycarbonate product of the present Invention is easy toinstall, weighs only a couple of ounces, is compact, and has not brokenin everyday use in an extreme climate with strong ultraviolet light. Italso has a very attractive oval shape with a smooth surface. It blendswith the roof and involves no intrusive fixtures. It can be made inunlimited colors to be beautiful on any roof. The strength of theproduct, its holding ability of ice and snow, and the timelessdurability of polycarbonate plastic are major advantages. Thepolycarbonate plastic should out last any roof system or any roofproduct. The Inventor believes that the product is much better thananything available currently on the market, and that it will provide asafe environment for people and property and will prolong the life ofthe roof.

Additional Embodiments

The L-shaped device could be made of several parts attached to eachother by welding, brazing, or adhesives, or it could be molded orstamped from one piece of metal or plastic or similar strong material. Anumber of variations of the size and shape of the device are possibleincluding mounting feet 1 which are wider than approximately one inch orlonger than approximately two inches, snow retaining members 4 which aretaller or shorter than 3 inches. For very steeply inclined roofs,bracket angle 6 could be substantially more than 90 degrees so that snowretaining member 4 would be more nearly perpendicular to the ground soas to reduce the likelihood that snow and ice could slide over snowretaining member 4 and down the inclined roof. The device could have asnow retaining member 4 substantially longer than about five inches, inorder to extend over a longer distance over the roof and could have morethan two mounting feet, preferably at least one mounting foot for every6 to 12 inches of length across the roof Each mounting foot 1 could havemore than one roof attachment hole 2, in order to provide a more securemounting of the device on the roof in cases where the roof is moresteeply inclined and in climates where the device must support a greaterdepth of snow and ice, in which case the height of snow retaining member4 could be substantially higher than three inches in order to retain athicker layer of snow and ice. Another variation of the device would bea device with a snow retaining member 4 of substantially greater lengthand with numerous mounting feet 1, molded in one piece, but containinglines of weakness in snow retaining member 4 so that a very long devicecould be broken up into several portions each with their mounting feet1, to accommodate roofing surfaces of varying widths. Additionalembodiments might incorporate gripping shapes 5 in forms other thansquare pyramids such as triangular pyramids, rods, cones triangles orpolygons projecting vertically from the front surface of snow retainingmember 4. While such shapes, being sharper, may increase the risk ofinjury to the installer, the shapes might better retain snow and ice. Aspreviously mentioned, the plastic out of which the device is made couldbe transparent in order to be of low visibility on the roof, or it couldbe white or black or many other colors selected to match the color ofthe roof, in order to reduce visibility of the device on the roof. Itcould also be transparent; or opaque and black, white, or colored. Inaddition to being semicircular in shape, the snow retaining member 4could be rectangular, half oval, or in the shape of many differentpolygons or oval shapes. Depending on the exact type of plastic used forthe device, the device may also included various chemicals adapted toprevent the device from being degraded by ultraviolet radiation, orbecoming brittle or discolored, etc. These types of plastic additivesare well known to those skilled in the art.

Alternative Embodiments

In addition to being made of polycarbonate, styrene, ABS high impactplastic or rigid polyvinyl chloride plastic could be used. In additionto being made out of molded plastic, the device could be made frommetals of various kinds, by stamping or cutting from a metal sheet ofsuitable shape. It could also be made of cast metal

CONCLUSIONS, RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE

A number of changes are possible to the shape, size, and exactconfiguration of the device described above while still remaining withinthe scope and spirit of the Invention. The specifics about the form ofthe Invention described in this application are not intended to belimiting in scope. The scope of the Invention is to be determined by theclaims and their legal equivalents, not the examples given above.

1. A device for attaching to an inclined roof, to retain snow and ice, with a substantially L-shape comprising: (a) a base member, forming the bottom of the L-shape, including one or more roof attachment holes or other roof attachment means for attachment to a roof, and having a long edge, and (b) a vertical member, forming the top of the L-shape, attached to the base member along a long edge of the base member and extending above the base member at an angle between about 90 degrees and 135 degrees, whereby the base member may be attached to an inclined roof by the roof attachment means or by means of screws or other fasteners placed in the roof attachment holes and into the roof material, and whereby snow and ice on a roof are prevented by the vertical member from moving down an inclined roof.
 2. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more gripping shapes extending from the vertical member generally perpendicular to the surface of the vertical member, wherein such gripping shapes are adapted to engage snow and ice on a roof and prevent them from moving up and over the vertical member and then down an inclined roof.
 3. The device of claim 1, further comprising an angle reinforcement or other strengthening means or brace member attached to the base member and the vertical member, whereby the vertical and base members are held rigidly together, and whereby said members will not break apart at the points where they are joined.
 4. The device of claim 2, further comprising an angle reinforcement or other strengthening means or brace members attached to the base member and the vertical member, whereby the vertical and base members are held rigidly together, and whereby said members will not break apart at the points where they are joined.
 5. The device of claim 2, wherein the gripping shapes are selected from the group consisting of: triangular based pyramids, square based periods, polygonal based pyramids, rods, cones, triangles, and polygons.
 6. The device of claim 4, wherein the gripping shapes are selected from the group consisting of: triangular based pyramids, square based periods, polygonal based pyramids, rods, cones, triangles, and polygons.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the vertical member is substantially in the shape of a half oval, half circle or polygon.
 8. The device of claim 2, wherein the vertical member is in substantially the shape of a half oval, half circle or polygon.
 9. The device of claim 3, wherein the vertical member is in substantially the shape of a half oval, half circle or polygon.
 10. The device of claim 4, wherein the vertical member is substantially in the shape of a half oval, half circle or polygon.
 11. The device of claim 5, wherein the vertical member is substantially in the shape of a half oval, half circle or polygon.
 12. The device of claim 6, wherein the vertical member is substantially in the shape of a half oval, half circle or polygon.
 13. The device of claim 1, wherein the base member comprises two or more separate mounting feet extending away from the vertical member, wherein the mounting feet are adapted for attachment to a roof.
 14. The device of claim 2, wherein the base member comprises two or more separate mounting feet extending away from the vertical member, wherein the mounting feet are adapted for attachment to a roof.
 15. The device of claim 3, wherein the base member comprises two or more separate mounting feet extending away from the vertical member, wherein the mounting feet are adapted for attachment to a roof.
 16. The device of claim 4, wherein the base member comprises two or more separate mounting feet extending away from the vertical member, wherein mounting feet are adapted for attachment to a roof.
 17. The device of claim 5, wherein the base member comprises two or more separate mounting feet extending away from the vertical member, wherein the mounting feet are adapted for attachment to a roof.
 18. The device of claim 6, wherein the base member comprises two or more separate mounting feet extending away from the vertical member, wherein the mounting feet are adapted for attachment to a roof.
 19. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 20. The device of claim 2, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 21. The device of claim 3, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 22. The device of claim 4, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 23. The device of claim 5, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 24. The device of claim 6, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 25. The device of claim 7, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 26. The device of claim 8, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 27. The device of claim 9, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 28. The device of claim 10, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 29. The device of claim 11, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 30. The device of claim 12, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 31. The device of claim 13, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 32. The device of claim 14, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 33. The device of claim 15, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 34. The device of claim 16, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 35. The device of claim 17, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 36. The device of claim 18, wherein the device is made in one piece from molding or stamping and is made from metal, or plastic selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate, styrene, or high impact ABS plastic, or rigid polyvinyl chloride.
 37. The device of claim 1, wherein the material for the device is plastic and further comprises a chemical adapted to make the plastic substantially more resistant to degradation by ultraviolet light than the plastic alone.
 38. The device of claim 2, wherein the material for the device is plastic and further comprises a chemical adapted to make the plastic substantially more resistant to degradation by ultraviolet light than the plastic alone.
 39. The device of claim 3, wherein the material for the device is plastic and further comprises a chemical adapted to make the plastic substantially more resistant to degradation by ultraviolet light than the plastic alone.
 40. The device of claim 4, wherein the material for the device is plastic and further comprises a chemical adapted to make the plastic substantially more resistant to degradation by ultraviolet light than the plastic alone.
 41. The device of claim 5, wherein the material for the device is plastic and further comprises a chemical adapted to make the plastic substantially more resistant to degradation by ultraviolet light than the plastic alone.
 42. The device of claim 6, wherein the material for the device is plastic and further comprises a chemical adapted to make the plastic substantially more resistant to degradation by ultraviolet light than the plastic alone.
 43. The device of claim 7, wherein the material for the device is plastic and further comprises a chemical adapted to make the plastic substantially more resistant to degradation by ultraviolet light than the plastic alone.
 44. The device of claim 8, wherein the material for the device is plastic and further comprises a chemical adapted to make the plastic substantially more resistant to degradation by ultraviolet light than the plastic alone.
 45. The device of claim 9, wherein the material for the device is plastic and further comprises a chemical adapted to make the plastic substantially more resistant to degradation by ultraviolet light than the plastic alone.
 46. The device of claim 10, wherein the material for the device is plastic and further comprises a chemical adapted to make the plastic substantially more resistant to degradation by ultraviolet light than the plastic alone.
 47. The device of claim 11, wherein the material for the device is plastic and further comprises a chemical adapted to make the plastic substantially more resistant to degradation by ultraviolet light than the plastic alone.
 48. The device of claim 12, wherein the material for the device is plastic and further comprises a chemical adapted to make the plastic substantially more resistant to degradation by ultraviolet light than the plastic alone.
 49. The device of claim 37, wherein the material has properties selected from the group consisting of: clear or translucent, clear or translucent with color, opaque and black or white, or opaque with color.
 50. The device of claim 38, wherein the material has properties selected from the group consisting of: clear or translucent, clear or translucent with color, opaque and black or white, or opaque with color.
 51. The device of claim 39, wherein the material has properties selected from the group consisting of: clear or translucent, clear or translucent with color, opaque and black or white, or opaque with color.
 52. The device of claim 40, wherein the material has properties selected from the group consisting of: clear or translucent, clear or translucent with color, opaque and black or white, or opaque with color.
 53. The device of claim 41, wherein the material has properties selected from the group consisting of: clear or translucent, clear or translucent with color, opaque and black or white, or opaque with color.
 54. The device of claim 42, wherein the material has properties selected from the group consisting of: clear or translucent, clear or translucent with color, opaque and black or white, or opaque with color.
 55. The device of claim 43, wherein the material has properties selected from the group consisting of: clear or translucent, clear or translucent with color, opaque and black or white, or opaque with color.
 56. The device of claim 44, wherein the material has properties selected from the group consisting of: clear or translucent, clear or translucent with color, opaque and black or white, or opaque with color.
 57. The device of claim 45, wherein the material has properties selected from the group consisting of: clear or translucent, clear or translucent with color, opaque and black or white, or opaque with color.
 58. The device of claim 46, wherein the material has properties selected from the group consisting of: clear or translucent, clear or translucent with color, opaque and black or white, or opaque with color.
 59. The device of claim 47, wherein the material has properties selected from the group consisting of: clear or translucent, clear or translucent with color, opaque and black or white, or opaque with color.
 60. The device of claim 48, wherein the material has properties selected from the group consisting of: clear or translucent, clear or translucent with color, opaque and black or white, or opaque with color. 